United States Secretary of State
| Secretary of State of the United States | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Secretary of State | |
 Flag of the Secretary of State | |
 Incumbent Mike Pompeo since April 26, 2018 | |
| Department of State | |
| Style | Mr. Secretary |
| Member of | Cabinet, National Security Council |
| Reports to | The President |
| Seat | Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | Appointed |
| Constituting instrument | 22 U.S.C. § 2651 |
| Precursor | United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs |
| Formation | July 27, 1789 (1789-07-27) |
| First holder | John Jay (acting) Thomas Jefferson |
| Succession | Fourth[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary of State |
| Salary | $210,700 annually[2] (Executive Schedule I)[3] |
| Website | www.state.gov |
The Secretary of State is a senior official of the federal government of the United States of America, and as head of the United States Department of State, is principally concerned with foreign policy and is considered to be the U.S. government's equivalent of a Minister for Foreign Affairs.[4][5]
The Secretary of State is nominated by the President of the United States and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is confirmed by the United States Senate. The Secretary of State, along with the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General, are generally regarded as the four most important Cabinet members because of the importance of their respective departments.[6] Secretary of State is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level (currently $210,700).[3]
The current Secretary of State is Mike Pompeo. On March 13, 2018, President Donald Trump dismissed Rex Tillerson and nominated Pompeo, then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to replace Tillerson.[7][8] Tillerson announced later that day that his last day at the State Department would be March 31, 2018.[9]
Contents
1 Duties and responsibilities
2 List of Secretaries of State
3 References
4 External links
Duties and responsibilities
The stated duties of the Secretary of State are as follows:[10]
- "Supervises the United States Foreign Service" and "administers the Department of State"
- Advises the President on matters relating to U.S. foreign policy including the appointment of diplomatic representatives to other nations and on the acceptance, recall, or dismissal of representatives from other nations
- "Negotiates, interprets, or terminates treaties and agreements" and "conducts negotiations relating to U.S. foreign affairs"
- "Personally participates in or directs U.S. representatives to international conferences, organizations, and agencies"
- Provides information and services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad such as providing credentials in the form of passports
- Ensure the protection of the U.S. government to U.S. citizens, property, and interests in foreign countries
- "Supervises the administration of the U.S. immigration policy abroad"
- Communicates issues relating the U.S. foreign policy to Congress and to U.S. citizens
- "Promotes beneficial economic intercourse between the U.S. and other countries"
The original duties of the Secretary of State include some domestic duties such as:[citation needed]
- Receipt, publication, distribution, and preservation of the laws of the United States
- Preparation, sealing, and recording of the commissions of Presidential appointees
- Preparation and authentication of copies of records and authentication of copies under the Department's seal
- Custody of the Great Seal of the United States
- Custody of the records of former Secretary of the Continental Congress except for those of the Treasury and War departments
Most of the domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, performance of protocol functions for the White House, and the drafting of certain proclamations. The Secretary also negotiates with the individual States over the extradition of fugitives to foreign countries.[11] Under Federal Law,[12] the resignation of a president or of a vice president is only valid if declared in writing, in an instrument delivered to the office of the secretary of state. Accordingly, the resignations of President Nixon and of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, domestic issues, were formalized in instruments delivered to the secretary of state, Henry Kissinger.
As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the secretary of state is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the United States, after the president and vice president, and is fourth in line to succeed the presidency, coming after the vice president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Six secretaries of state have gone on to be elected president. Others, including Henry Clay, William Seward, James Blaine, William Jennings Bryan, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton have been unsuccessful presidential candidates, either before or after their term of office as Secretary of State.
The nature of the position means that Secretaries of State engage in travel around the world. The record for most countries visited in a secretary's tenure is 112 by Hillary Clinton.[13] Second is Madeleine Albright with 96.[14] The record for most air miles traveled in a secretary's tenure is 1,417,576 miles by John Kerry.[15] Second is Condoleezza Rice's 1,059,247 miles,[16] and third is Clinton's 956,733 miles.[17]
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—John Adams[18]
List of Secretaries of State
See List of Secretaries of State of the United States
References
^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Cornell Law School..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ "Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages". Salary Table No. 2018-EX. United States Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
^ ab 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
^ "Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs", Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
^ NATO Member Countries, NATO. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
^ "Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch" (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
^ "Meet Mike Pompeo, Trump's Reported New Hardliner Secretary of State". Haaretz. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
^ "Rex Tillerson out as secretary of state; CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace him". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
^ "Trump fires Rex Tillerson as secretary of state". BBC News. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
^ "Duties of the Secretary of State". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
^ "Duties of the Secretary of State of the United States". www.state.gov. United States Department of State. January 20, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "3 U.S. Code § 20 - Resignation or refusal of office".
^ Mark Landler (January 4, 2013). "Scare Adds to Fears That Clinton's Work Has Taken Toll". The New York Times.
^ Lee, Matthew (June 28, 2012). "Frequent flier Hillary Clinton hits 100-country mark". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012.
^ https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/travel/index.htm
^ https://2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/trvl/index.htm
^ https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/trvl/264084.htm
^ Ford, Worthington C., ed. (1927). Statesman and Friend: Correspondence of John Adams with Benjamin Waterhouse, 1784–1822. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company. p. 57.
External links
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Official website
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ambassadors from the United States (while at their posts) | Order of Precedence of the United States as Secretary of State | Succeeded by Ambassadors to the United States (in order of tenure) |
| Preceded by Otherwise Barack Obama as Former President | Succeeded by Otherwise António Guterres as Secretary-General of the United Nations | |
Current U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded by President pro tempore of the Senate Orrin Hatch | 4th in line | Succeeded by Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin |
United States Secretaries of State | ||
|---|---|---|
Secretary of Foreign Affairs 1781–89 |
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Secretary of State 1789–present |
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Agencies under the United States Department of State | ||
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*_Mike_Pompeo,_Secretary_of_State *_John_Sullivan,_Deputy_Secretary_of_State_and_Deputy_Secretary_of_State_for_Management_and_Resources *_Stephen_Mull,_Acting_Under_Secretary_of_State_for_Political_Affairs">
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Deputy Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources |
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| Under Secretary for Political Affairs |
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| Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment |
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| Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs |
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| Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs |
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| Under Secretary for Management |
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| Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights |
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| Bureaus/Offices reporting directly to the Secretary |
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